Happy Thursday Girls!
I have been waiting for today to get here......
We are so excited for Football Season over here!!!
Speaking of football, my Thursday Thoughts today are about my feelings on after game snacks for the kiddos!
Before I even go any further, please know these are just my thoughts and opinions, I don't expect everyone to agree with me!
I have been involved in organized sports for years now, and I love being involved in these things with my children. I have been "team mom" more times than I can even count, I have organized snack schedules, end of season parties, coaches gifts...you name it, I have probably done it! I think back to the early years of my boys playing t-ball, and no doubt the best part of the game for them was the after game snack! Those little boys would sit and pick grass out in the field, and sometimes take their sweet time running the bases, but once snack was busted out, they came running for their cookie and juice box:)
My boys are not so little anymore, and long gone are the days of t-ball, now my kids are at the age where the game, NOT the snack, is the important part! My boys, especially AJ, play competitively and to win! We have been playing travel baseball for YEARS now, and we don't have snack after each game, it is up to the parents to make sure they have whatever it is their child is going to need/want to eat and drink during and after the game! To me this is simple...no brainer!
Last year, as I was team mom once again for AJ's football team it really got me thinking...is all this snack crap necessary? In the years past, I had organized a snack schedule for the team, sent out reminder emails all week, and yet it never failed that the designated snack parent for that week would show up without the snack...and hey I get it...we are all busy parents, snack isn't always at the top of the priority list! So last year I thought to lessen the stress for everyone, I would take up a collection, and I would be sure to bring the snack and drink each week...the parents LOVED that idea! The positive...snack was never forgotten..cold drinks and yummy treats were always there after the games...the negatives's...it's a major PAIN IN THE ASS lugging snack for 30 kids each week, not to mention it's expensive...last year I spent $36 a week on chips and gatorades for the team...that's INSANE! In addition to it being a major pain, you always get that handful of kids complaining about the snack, they don't like it, they want something different, etc....and add in the kids with allergies, it can become a pretty stressful thing! I decided after last year that I was NO longer going to participate in team snack anymore moving forward! I spoke with AJ about it, and he could care less, (thank GOD), he is there to play the game! I know my child, I know what he likes, and it is really so much easier to just throw a snack in your bag for your own child, than worrying about the entire team!
A few weeks ago, I got an email from the team mom, and it was all about snack, and she opened it up with "lets get to the important stuff first...snack"....I laughed a little bit...these boys are 11 and 12 years old...if snack is the most important thing, they should probably not be playing! And it was decided between the team moms this year that in addition to an after game snack, we needed to provide them with a half time snack as well! I nearly fell over in my chair as I was reading it! I had already decided I wasn't participating this year, so I replied back to her email, simply stating that our family would not be participating in the snack sign up, and a snack and drink does not need to be provided for our child, we will make sure he has one if he wants one. Immediately after I hit "send" I thought to myself, should I just have said screw it and signed up for the snack? But after talking with Mark about it, and Harrison (who mind you is one of the coaches for the team), I knew I did the right thing by voicing my opinion, in a very respectful way, regarding snack. The football game start to finish is just barely an hour, these kids are not babies, they can make it that long without having snacks midway and after the game. This is a very competitive sport we are playing, and I can't speak for the all the kids on the team, but I know my son is there for one reason and one reason only...to get out there, play the best he can, and win the game! AJ could care less about a bottle of Gatorade and a bag of chips after the game!
I think it is great to have a little end of season celebration, or maybe a special treat after the last game of the season, but in my opinion I just think it is unnecessary to have snack after each game. As a busy mom, I know for us, it is much easier for me to throw a quick snack and a drink in my bag for AJ after the game, rather than worrying about providing 28 kids with a snack.
I have been involved in organized sports for many many years now, and I have seen it change so much over the years. Some changes for the better and some, in my opinion, not so much for the better. I can remember a time when trophies were only given to the winning teams, not every single kid, on every single team. Now there are times when a score isn't even kept, well because it doesn't matter who won...YES, YES it does matter who wins! And it is so important to let our kids know how to lose, and that losing is OK. We all want to see our kids win, and have a collection of trophies on their dressers, but I want for my children to have truly earned them, not just be given a trophy because he/she participated.
I am sure many may feel differently than I do about this subject, and like always, I always respect everyone's thoughts and opinions, these just happen to be mine!
This year, I decided to not over extend myself and volunteer for everything! It's first year in FOREVER that I am not a team mom...and you know what I am totally fine with that! It doesn't matter to AJ if I am team mom or not, what matters to him is that I am there every week watching him do his thing! It will be so nice this year to just enjoy watching my boy play! As a mom I want to see my children "win" at everything they do, but the reality is you can't win all the time. Win or lose, as long as my kids go out there and give 100% all the time, I am proud. My boys, especially AJ, has had his share of losing on the field, and I am always so proud of him for never being a sore loser.
I am anxious to hear everyone's thoughts on after game snacks! Be sure to check back tomorrow for Friday Favorites!
